Automotive manufacturers are driven to design light weight vehicles with increased crash performance and reduced fuel consumption. The manufacturers have transitioned from a usage of mild steels for vehicle components to advanced high strength steels and ultra-high strength steels along with aluminum. Hot stamping processes for vehicle components allow creation of fully martensitic structures. However, hot stamping process may create vehicle components with undesirable qualities. For example, a bumper beam assembly having uniform microstructures in each of the components may have undesired impact deformation characteristics or undesired characteristics relating to securing the components to one another.
This disclosure is directed to solving the above problems and other problems as summarized below.